Venice Bites Food Tours: Off The Eaten Path – Venice, Italy

By visiting our local family-owned and operated businesses, our mission is to honor and celebrate their work and their perseverance in preserving what is left of the fabric of Venice, which is gravely endangered. We have a dual purpose: Yes, we want to get travelers “off the eaten path,” away from the tourist zones and help find great places to eat. But we also want to support the families who work tirelessly, day after day, to serve the city and the people they love. It is often a thankless job. We want to bring them recognition. We want to introduce travelers to their crafts, and hopefully, people will return and tell their friends. But most importantly, we want to help financially support them to help them stem the tide from the foreign investors and international chains that are plaguing our city. Every day we do a tour, it’s another day they can stay in business. We know that each and every meal counts, and with your help, we accomplish this together. We are thankful every day that like-minded travelers like you are there to help in this effort.

Every location we go on our tours has been chosen by us for exactly this purpose. We pay full price for everything. We have not, nor will we ever ask for a discount from them. We do not accept kickbacks or commissions. To that end, we also do not offer discounts for our tours. All of these things pull against the nature of our main goal, which is to support Venetians in their efforts to save themselves and our beloved city.

Enjoy a day in the life of a Venetian!

7+ stops in neighborhood eateries, which includes all food and five alcoholic drinks.

This tour is unusual because it’s operated by an American couple who moved to Venice several years ago. But don’t be put off by that – they are as passionate as could be about the cuisine of their adopted city. Plus, you get some interesting insights about the trials and pleasures of Venetian expat life. The tour takes you to spots that Venetians frequent, including a bar for a kick-off caffe corretto (coffee “corrected” with a shot of grappa) to fortify you for the adventure. You’ll also taste cichetti, Venice’s famous little snacks piled on slices of bread, at an award-winning place you would likely never find on your own. Onward to local sandwiches; the most wickedly delicious gelato in Venice (or maybe all of Italy); a little grocery for hay-smoked burrata (still dreaming of it); a restaurant for bruschetta, ravioli filled with branzino and gnocchi with crab; then a stop for pastries and, finally, capping off the tour, a spritz at an outdoor cafe with a great canal view. Along the way, we paused at the couple’s favorite mask shop and glass shop, traded banter with the vendors at a small fish market, saw a produce-selling barge and took a wander through the Rialto Market. I particularly appreciated all the background stories about the spots we visited. It’s clear that our guides had truly connected with the proprietors and learned the history of their businesses. At the end, I was pleasantly full, but not stuffed. For me, it was exactly the right amount of food, well-paced with walking and non-food sights. Bravi, Venice Bites!

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